Mercedes boss Toto Wolff: "Cost cap is not the reason why we could not solve porpoising in 2022 F1 season"

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that the reason that the delay in the team resolving porpoising issues during the 2022 season was the lack of testing and that it had nothing to do with either cost cap or financing.

The limited days available for the team to test the W13 for issues similar to porpoising was the root cause of the delay, as it is not possible to identify an issue like that in simulation or the wind tunnel.

He stated (via PlanetF1):

“Of course we could have injected more capital. But in the end you are limited by the few test days. The virtual world of the wind tunnel, CFD and simulations did not solve our problem. Our data simply did not show it."

The Austrian also remarked that it was not possible to spot the issue without running the car on a track for testing before the season started. He said:

“Bouncing cannot be simulated in the wind tunnel. This, of course, misleads the simulations. There, too, it was learning by doing. Every step we took on the track, using the weekends as a test, brought us millimetres closer to our understanding of the car.”

However, as the season progressed, Mercedes were able to collect enough data and resolve the issue to an extent, which helped them win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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Will Mercedes be affected by the cost cap in the 2023 season?

The cost cap has been of trouble to Red Bull Racing in the 2021 season. They exceeded the set limit, which saw their wind tunnel time reduced, and were also fined $7 million.

Mercedes, however, remained largely out of trouble. Toto Wolff also spoke about the cap and stated that the team had to undergo changes because of the same. He said:

"If you have to take out 100 million, that means restructuring. We have gone through a very difficult time to adapt. Our finance department has grown from 16 to 45 staff to reflect the processes."

Mercedes did have a hard time in the 2022 season, finishing third behind Red Bull and Scuderia Ferrari. However, this means they will have more time in the wind tunnel in contrast to their rivals. With Lewis Hamilton's experience and George Russell's skills, the team is expecting to make a much better start when the new season gets underway.